Embodiments disclosed herein relate generally to a structure, such as a nozzle and the like, and a method for introducing a fluid. More specifically, the embodiments relate to a fluid nozzle and a method of introducing a fluid employable with an automated analytical instrument, such as the instrument disclosed in the above-cited U.S. patent application.
Automated analytical instruments are available to perform a number of tasks. For instance, the automated instrument may perform a number of tests on a fluid, a biological sample and the like. In some embodiments, the fluid on which the tests are performed is a blood sample. The tests performed on the blood sample can be used to determine health status of an individual from whom the blood sample came.
To perform the tests on the blood sample, a portion of the blood sample may be mixed with another fluid, such as a reagent and the like. The blood sample, or the blood sample mixed with the other fluid, is sent to a detector. The detector measures or detects presence of an item of interest in the blood sample. The item of interest may be a cell, a particle and the like. The detector "reads" the blood sample and reports data to a computer. The computer processes the data and reports a result, which indicates presence of the item of interest in the blood sample, to an operator of the instrument.
To introduce or to send the blood sample to the detector, a nozzle of sorts may be used. The blood sample flows through the nozzle toward the detector. As the instrument performs tests on a number of blood samples, it is desirable to clean the nozzle periodically. This cleaning reduces the likelihood that a part of the blood sample from one patient might be mixed with a part of the blood sample from another patient. If blood samples from two patients were to mix, then the analytical instrument may give the operator improper results.
In a desire to avoid improper results, the nozzle may be cleaned after each blood sample flows through the nozzle. Thus, a first blood sample flows through the nozzle, the nozzle is cleaned, and then a second blood sample flows through the nozzle. In addition, some fluids, such as auromine O, acridin orange and the like, that flow through the nozzle may stain or contaminate the nozzle. The staining of the nozzle may reduce the sensitivity or accuracy of the detector possibly causing some sample to be read improperly. It may not be easy to remove this stain. Because the nozzle is cleaned each time a blood sample flows through the nozzle, the time needed to test a given blood sample may be relatively long, especially when multiple samples share a common detector. Given the high demand for medical services and medical tests, it is desired to find a way to reduce the time needed to test a blood sample or other fluid of interest.